Where are the palms? Where is the sun? Where are the ocean breezes in Missouri?

(Beware, there are lots of photos below!)

On the Sebastian Inlet Beach. Ohhh so gorgeous!

Conquering the world for God and the Spanish crown!

Did you know that Juan Ponce de Le’on landed at Melbourne Shores? And he wasn’t looking for the fountain of youth, he was looking for land to exploit and conquer for the monarchs of Spain. He had already served as governor of Puerto Rico and joined in the massacres of the native population in South America. This is the type of important info you learn while trying to escape the cold winter in Missouri. (Tongue in cheek, of course!)

Camping in Florida

RV Spaces at a premium!

Florida is gorgeous and everyone knows it. That is why there are hoards of people hitting the beaches. Luckily, we arrived one week before Spring Break. While in Florida we began looking for a place to park our motorhome for a couple of months next January and February. We want to be sun worshippers too.

Finding a place to stay (rent) for our motorhome in 2019 is a bit overwhelming. Every campground or resort has a date when you can begin to reserve, IFanything is available. Some very nice RV resorts require a rental of at least three to six months. We love the sun but we love our home in Missouri too and don’t want to stay away that long. Many campgrounds that might be available pack RV’s into spaces like sardines. You can’t breathe! We have tried for two days to book St. Sebastian Inlet Campground but there are so many rules and so many people trying to book that we think we will be out of luck. One campground would not even allow us on the property to determine if we wanted to rent one of their driveways. We were so frustrated that we stopped looking for a spot.

Should we Purchase our Driveway in the Sun?

Our hotel in Melbourne Beach on the beach!

One solution to this problem is to purchase our own pad at an RV resort. Those little pieces of ground, as big as a small driveway, start at about $60K and go up to $250K. We could not believe it! There are too many people floating down to Florida, I think. They must drive up the prices.

A friend told us that more than a million people visit Florida during this time of year. But in 2016 there were 110 million visitors and in 2017 eighty eight million visited Florida in spite of the hurricanes. There are only 21 million residents of Florida at the moment.

Sunshine is not cheap nor reasonable.

We loved all the dogs playing on the beaches!

Once you have purchased your little piece of sunshine (pad), then you are assessed a monthly fee starting at about $200-$500 and going up depending upon the resort. I am not sure that we will ever be able to reserve RENTED spots for next year.

The Beach

Indiatlantic Beach (in Melbourne Beach) was our ocean home for a week. I forgot how grand and memorable the waves could sound! Dogs, birds, treasure hunters, surfers, sun bathers, runners, fishers, bicyclists, and children of all ages walk the beach. Everyone is happy and staring at the ocean. Everyone is uncovering their knees and shoulders and ….

The lines were a hazard!

She did not find any gold!

Tom loves the water!

ET Experiences

Oh say can you see …

We had several ET experiences here including a rocket launch. (This link is of a silly tune “Rocketman” by our friends Igor and the Red Elvises.) We started gathering on the beach and looking north toward Cape Canaveral a few minutes before five in order to see the rocket /satellite launch. From our balcony we held our cameras high to catch the space wonder. I thought it would be boring. After all, I had watched Sputnik fly over my home as a child. It was not at all boring! A gleaming object leaving a white trail passed right in front of us. The white exhaust began to fade and that is when the impact and noise of the launch hit us. WOW! Let’s do it again!

Sunrise every morning! Another ET event!

Moon over our hotel! Could that be ET?

Treading Sacred Water and Land

This photo is from the Fish Museum at Sebastian.

St. Sebastian Inlet Park was beyond beautiful. It is where the Indian River heads out to the Atlantic Ocean. Hundreds of fishers set up their stakes hoping for the catch of a life time. One fisherman told me to get off the pier because tourists bothered him. I wondered if he was really a local. The scenes around the beach were unbelievably gorgeous!

The bridge to Sebastian Inlet State Park

Combat fishing on the pier at Sebastian!

The Pelicans posed for me!

The waves were huge and surfers took advantage of them!

Rich Grissom Memorial Wetlands.

These wetlands, dedicated to a sixteen year old boy who lost his life here, took us by surprise. As we walked a lonely road hundreds of birds were singing, dancing, and clucking. I have only heard songs like this in the jungle of Sierra Leone, West Africa. Alligators stealthy patrolled the marshes and occasionally dined on foul caught off guard. Oh no!

Birds had nested in almost every palm tree!

Beware!

Tom found another nature preserve for us to hike near Sebastian Inlet Park. Trees were gnarled, Indian River slapped against decaying foliage. An occasional palm stuck its head out of the bushes. We heard not one bird, not one animal, not one insect on this trek. We were not even bothered by mosquitos. A sign warned us that alligators were ahead, so we turned back. The silence made me think of the polluted Treadmill mine in Juneau, Alaska. I think we were walking on a superfund site again! Were there really alligators ahead?

Sun and Fun

From left to right: Rick, Barb, and Ines!!!!

We extended our stay to catch up with old friends Barb and Rick from Delaware, and found a new friend, Ines. In the past, we traveled with them to Alaska, Ireland, Belgium, and a memorable Caribbean cruise. It was so nice to talk with people who were of the same mind! While in Melbourne, living it up, we had such a great time talking, and dining, and thinking about the future, that I forgot to take a photo of all of us. Shucks! Rick took this selfie for me. Thanks Rick!

Moos and Ron Jon

It was a meeting place for all ages!

Moos became our favorite place to load up on calories. They serve Cow ice cream and we ordered the coffee flavor more than once. In Cocoa Beach we visited the Ron Jon Surf Shop extravaganza. Bass Pro and Cabela’s would be jealous!

This was really too much for us!

When you walk the beach, you are never alone! Many creatures accompanied us on our strolls!

Florida was a fantastic break from the cold chill in Missouri!

As always, this post is copyrighted by Marla J. Selvidge!

This could be you next year during February!

Below are pics of some of my books that may be purchased at a variety of online outlets. Alaska. More than an Adventure will be published by summer!